This is not normal. Historically, by mid-November, at least one Power 5 conference has played itself out of the College Football Playoff race.
At this point last season, only the Big Ten (Ohio State and Michigan) and the SEC (Georgia and Tennessee) had teams with at least a 33% chance to reach the playoff, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor.
This year, all five major conferences are still jockeying for the four coveted playoff spots, and there are twice as many teams in contention.
In the Pac-12, Washington is undefeated and one-loss Oregon still has a legitimate path. Ohio State and Michigan remain undefeated in the Big Ten.
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